Application of Dewey’s Philosophy of Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Exploring the Perspectives of Education Philosophy for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The philosophy of education is a significant area of study both for Western and Indian philosophers. Philosophy of education was not systematically set forth before the twentieth century. In the west only Plato produced a notable philosophy of education (in his “Republic) in pre-twentieth century. He was the first systematic philosopher to work in this field. Plato along with John Dewey believes that philosophy of education occupied a central place in philosophical thought. Dewey, in fact, once suggested that “philosophy may even be defined as the general theory of education.”In the following pages we discuss the different views of philosophy of education in Western and Indian perspectives. The western philosophy of education is divided based on the origin of reality. The origin of reality to the idealistic philosopher is quite 22 different from the realistic or the pragmatic philosophers. Therefore the perspective towards the life for the idealistic philosopher is also different from the other philosophers. Depending on the perspective towards the life, the aim of education is also different for the different philosophers.